Rufous Beaked Snake - African Colubrid?

[MelissaFlipski]

MelissaFlipski,

Thanks for the questions. I presume that he is about 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 years old (I got him after he lost his reddish spots) and I have had him for about a year and a half. He is 4 1/2 feet and I presume he was w/c.

I will post more about him after, I get a few good pics and maybe a video and good write up for you.

Thanks

I can't wait! Send me a PM if I miss your new thread!

[mwd45]

The Rufous Beaked Snake

Basics about my snake(I'll keep it Chronological)

Monday (Feeding Day) - In the morning I usually wake up to a familiar face staring at me from his cage. He is sort of timid and when I walk up to him he normally goes back into hiding. At other times, he will hide his body and only expose his head and a small portion of his tail.

Some time between the morning and afternoon, I make it a point to take him out of his cage to let him explore. He is generally afraid of being too high in the air with no stability. I make it point to keep him close (with protective clothing) and allow him to wrap the last third of his body around my forearm. He generally hides between my body and arm and observes where we are going. I have found that his favorite thing to do is crawl on my bed and search about the room (he is also very fast so you have to keep watch on him constantly).

Later in the afternoon, once the Mice have Thawed, I start the feeding process (I have a few snakes). I normally save feeding my Rufous for last so he can relax and enjoy his meal (he does not like sudden movements and will run and hide). Feeding is done by placing a Thawed Mouse on a paper towel to keep substrate from getting in his mouth.

On feeding Live Mice... I assure that Live feedings are very successful with the "Rufous Beaked Snake. However, I advise against it because of the possible harm to the snake. For educational purposes, I will compare the feeding response of the Rufous Beaked Snake to that of a "Midget Body Builder Gone Wild". He is incredibly strong for his size and well... I have never seen a mouse be permanently constricted to less than half it's size (in diameter). I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

On feeding Dead Mice... I like this best because he comes out, inspects, wolfs it down and grabs a drink of water. And well, that's it! Just remember to get the Paper towel out of the cage.

Tuesday / Wednesday - I generally leave him alone to digest his prey. However, I do monitor what he does and is as follows... I still wake up to him staring at me or some part of the room through his cage. I leave him alone except to change his water (done every other day). He goes back and forth like always from each hide box and that's about it.

Thursday - Sunday - These are the days that I take him out and handle him the most (similar to Monday's). These are the times where I handle him and Inspect his cage. These days I inspect the cage for "Poo-Doo" and spot clean as necessary. I am always on the prowl for mites and stuff and use these days to check all of my snakes for any abnormalities.

I will post a scientific care sheet as I get the time... this is just a basic chronological week of the life of my Rufous.

[MelissaFlipski]

Cool! Thanks. Does the rufous strike you as particularly intelligent? Has he ever attempted to bite?

Please post pictures!

[mwd45]

Here are some photos... you can find them in my gallery as well!! Thanks for your interest!!



http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/.../snakes019.jpg

http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/.../snakes012.jpg

http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/.../snakes009.jpg

http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/.../snakes015.jpg

[MelissaFlipski]

Gorgeous! Thanks! Do you wear gloves to handle him? Has he ever bitten you? I know I want to get a colubrid next - it's a big gaping whole in our collection. But I'm not sure I want to risk a bite.

[mwd45]

For Safety Reasons you should at least wear Cotton Gloves and a Long Sleeve Cotton Shirt. I'll admit that I don't wear them. I have no valid reason for not wearing them and I probably should.

As for biting, he has yet to get nippy with me. I have yet to come across an actual report of a bite, Only hear-say of a guy who let a Rufous Beak bite and chew on him which caused swelling in the arm and hand, gave him a headache and went away in a week. I am not down-playing the validity of this story except to say that if it is true then I would invite that person to make an official statement / claim so that we can become more educated. I know of people all over who have Rufous Beaks and the only thing they have to say is "Docile".

As far as owning a Rufous Beaked Snake, you must be aware that each state has certain laws concerning keeping of Venomous Reptiles. Make sure you abide by them. The regulations differ by State. I do not know how they are Regulated in your State, so you have some research ahead of you.

My personal thoughts are that most Rear-Fanged Snakes should not be regulated.

[MelissaFlipski]

I live in WV so regulations barely exist. Boomslangs would be, of course, the exception to not regulated rear-fanged snakes, eh?

[Neal]

Wow, talk about finding an old thread. I have had my rufous for awhile now, and he is a great little booger. Never attempted to bite or strike, and loves being handled.

[MelissaFlipski]

Wow, talk about finding an old thread. I have had my rufous for awhile now, and he is a great little booger. Never attempted to bite or strike, and loves being handled.

Can you post some pictures? Thanks!

[Neal]

I have a thread Can you spot him? I have a few pictures of him hiding, but I will take some more a bit later and post them. I can't seem to find my digital camera.